In 2017 revolution is dead, we live on evolution through minor growth. We no longer want a change, we want enhancements. We don’t want to argue about controversy, we want to argue about small changes we can wrap our heads around. Sorry to say this but we are going not for the revolution but we are going to the revolution’s next door neighbour who doesn’t give a damn. We are going to talk about a game who said blood, gore and violence shouldn’t be hidden in a medium but should be talked about. We are going for a game that had no shame and happily accepted it’s ban and told the world do what you will. This is Hotline Miami.

Hotline Miami while not the first to show that game development was for all, it did embrace and publicize it. It was built by two guys on a shoestring budget, it didn’t have a care in the world. It went beyond the call of duty in terms of depiction and art and that’s why we talk about it today despite it’s bans in multiple countries.

Story:

Set in the late 80s Hotline Miami covers the story of the protagonist ‘Jacket’ along with secondary protagonist ‘biker’ on their call to murder. They follow their instructions whether they agree with it or not. They have one job: to kill, without being found, without being caught and most importantly without any witnesses.

The question is are they being ordered to kill by an agency or is it their deranged psyche telling them to make a change irrespective of the cost of lives, freedom and fear caused before they realize what they are doing and stop to make a change.

The story itself is bizarre, un-remorseful and multilayered. From simply following orders, to revolting against an unknown force, we follow jacket and biker to make a change which might just be for the better of Miami or could end the city as it is known.

Graphics:

Despite its 2013 release date Hotline Miami looks like a game made in the 80s and doesn’t give a crap about what you think. From the overhead view to the 8-bit graphics it’s not trying to be a masterpiece, It is trying to throw you back to the reasons you loved gaming when you were growing up, it does a good damn good job of making you remember the Atari 2600, the Nintendo NES and other consoles of the time and doing a damn fine job of it.

From the crawling victims to the decapitations, Hotline shows more in 8bit graphics than most games dare to show. The scene when you’re done looks like an M rated slasher flick, the bodies make you wonder if you’re psychotic. Hotline pushes the boundaries of what can be shown on TV or in video games and is un-remorseful about it.

Sound:

The soundtrack is way too good for the graphics, the background music is mostly instrumental tracks that feel like they belong in the 80s and match the theme perfectly even though they are not sounds you would hear in the 80s they somehow still feel right.

The sounds you hear when hitting or stabbing someone are at best O.K. Though not exceptional or great they do feel right. Even the guns have a very old sound to them and while again O.K I wouldn’t call them great but none of the sounds are bad and do a decent job of fitting in

Gameplay:

The controls are simple and can be picked up quite quickly. The controls boil down to: move, use, pickup/throw, if you can’t learn that we might have bigger problems. The tutorial shows you the ropes and then your left to figure out your plan of attack. Do you want to be silent and pick of everyone one by one or would you rather let everyone know where you are with a gunshot and shoot them as they run through the door? It’s fun either way.

Levels are usually very straight forward. They are usually made up of 2 sections, you kill everyone in the first and then you kill everyone in the second and then walk back to your car as you admire the carnage you caused, it’s not a complex level design.

Everything sound simple so far? Good because that simplicity in control and layout is there for a reason because you’re not Rambro (See Broforce, coming soon right here). One punch and you be dead, one bullet shot and you’re dead again, Hell hit a split second too late and again you’re dead! A lot of the times it feels like you are weaker than all the enemies so you either move really slowly clearing a room at a time or you do what the game wants you to do and go fast from room to room breaking down doors, bashing in skulls, slashing necks and firing the occasional shot while all you feel is adrenalin pumping through you. Then you die and do the exact same thing in rage again and again till you get lucky enough to finish the room without dying. That’s Hotline Miami, a game that makes you go fast so that you get a combo and punishes you for blinking and I love every second of it.

That’s the gameplay, you pick up stuff, you use that stuff to kill a guy and then you throw that stuff at the next guy (guns included) at which point a third guy you didn’t notice breaks your face. Then you do it again but this time you wear a different mask to get some modifier.

The progression in the game is not much, you unlock new items that aren’t really worthwhile and you unlock new masks that do stuff like make your punches fatal or show something you didn’t see before.

Conclusion:

Hotline Miami is an example of a game made with lack of skill but plenty of love. It says that if EA thinks they are too good to be beaten by the small guys, well the small guys are coming to whoop your ass. The graphics aren’t anywhere near AAA levels but everything else is the reason indie developers are doing so well.

Would I recommend Hotline Miami? Yes. If you have ever spent Rs 2000 or $40 or more on a AAA game and not played Hotline Miami yet please leave your gamer card at the door.

Final Score: 9/10